grayracer513

Let's start by recognizing that counting the pins between the cams' 12:00 o'clock marks IS NOT how cams are timed. The pin count thing is useful only as an assembly aid, and as a secondary cross check method.

Then, it would be nice to know whether those were original WR cams, or where they might have originated. Currently, it's timed with the intake 22 degrees retarded and the exhaust 22degrees advanced. Very odd, and apart from the fact that advancing the cam that much will greatly increase the cranking compression, retarding the intake by that much would hardly make the bike more willing to run.

What do the lobe positions look like from the right side in this position?

DeepPurplishBlue

Let's start by recognizing that counting the pins between the cams' 12:00 o'clock marks IS NOT how cams are timed. The pin count thing is useful only as an assembly aid, and as a secondary cross check method.

Then, it would be nice to know whether those were original WR cams, or where they might have originated. Currently, it's timed with the intake 22 degrees retarded and the exhaust 22degrees advanced. Very odd, and apart from the fact that advancing the cam that much will greatly increase the cranking compression, retarding the intake by that much would hardly make the bike more willing to run.

What do the lobe positions look like from the right side in this position?

Well, yes, I am aware counting the pins is not the way to set the timing. I was mentioning that as a conversation point because that

is what people that try to "set the exhaust cam to YZ timing" are following.

I did not take a picture of the lobes, but they were fairly flat with respect to the edge of the head rather than pointing slightly up

as should be expected.

I am expecting they are the original WR cams since the bike is pretty much unmolested from stock but no way to be sure.

grayracer513

Also, in your picture it looks like the chain is either loose or kinked. Looking at the pins in the chain between the cams.

...Which may be how it got to be the way that it is. Kinking, binding timing chains are a primary cause of these engines jumping time. The tensioner is designed only to remove true slack, not to press out the kinks in a sticky chain.

DeepPurplishBlue

...Which may be how it got to be the way that it is. Kinking, binding timing chains are a primary cause of these engines jumping time. The tensioner is designed only to remove true slack, not to press out the kinks in a sticky chain.

That is my thought as well, but one cam moved forward and the other backwards... seems unlikely for a chain jump but stranger things have happened...

grayracer513

Didn't happen at the same time. A kinked chain will jump the sprocket that is farthest from the driving load. With the engine turning forward, that would be the intake cam. If the engine kicks back a little on startup, or bounces off compression on shutdown, the exhaust will jump. Lucky it was only one tooth.